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Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2022

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Friday, March 4 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates on what progress has been made on concerns that had been previously brought forward and address new concerns that have come to light. 
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Friday, March 4, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX), and Erika Daniel (SAN).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, California Regional Director of Inflight Operations Robbi Burton, and Seattle Director of Inflight Base Operations Jenny Bookert from management. 

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management.  Some items discussed include:

  • Ongoing concerns about low morale within our work group.
  • Possibility of expanding current uniform and appearance standards to be more inclusive of varying cultural identities.
  • Support for the people of Ukraine and what the company, the inflight division, and AFA are doing.
  • Concerns about company suppliers/vendors whose values may be contradictory to those of Alaska Airlines.  Management is continuing to research this issue.
  • Concerns about a perceived lack of cultural sensitivity surrounding how the company chooses to participate in certain public events and promotional activities.
  • Ways for the committee to start building relationships with the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) and expand existing relationships with the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) department.
  • Management’s proposal to conduct DEI listening sessions with Flight Attendants in each base; discussion about involvement of the AFA Human Rights Committee.
  • Request to make DEI information easily accessible to Flight Attendants on the Inflight Mobile Device (IMD).
  • Management’s progress on DEI initiatives and plans for upcoming work.
  • Request that management provide more timely and visible DEI updates and information about upcoming events and opportunities.  Specifically, providing Flight Attendants with enough notice to bid time off for activities they’d like to participate in.
  • Ensuring diversity and representation in company photo shoots and promotional materials that depict employees.

The committee is next scheduled to meet with management on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Working to Make Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Information More Accessible.  Encouraging management to make information about DEI events, activities, and programs more accessible and visible to Flight Attendants through links on the IMD and more regular and relevant communication.  Requesting that management include links to the Human Rights Committee’s resource page on afaalaska.org.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Continuing to work to establish relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Exploring Ways to Engage with Flight Attendants About Human Rights.  Discussing possible opportunities to work with management to conduct and participate in DEI activities in each base.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items that you’d like brought up with management?  Please let us know!  Your Local Human Rights Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. 

Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2021 (Rescheduled)

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, January 11 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates on what progress has been made on concerns that had been previously brought forward and address new concerns that have been brought forward.  The meeting with management was originally scheduled to be held on December 6 but was cancelled at the last minute due to inflight management changes that took place at around the same time.
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Tuesday, January 11, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), and Louise Borras (LAX).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Inflight Strategy and Support Gloria Chow, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, California Regional Director of Inflight Operations Robbi Burton, and Seattle Director of Inflight Base Operations Jenny Bookert from management. 

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management.  Some items discussed include:

  • Ongoing concerns about low morale within our work group
  • Opportunities to emphasize the importance of maintaining positive working relationships and encourage voter turnout during the upcoming election cycle.
  • Concerns about company suppliers/vendors whose values may be contradictory to those of Alaska Airlines and how management would address the issue.
  • Management’s progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and plans for upcoming work.
  • Upcoming plans to include more substantial DEI training in the Initial Training and Recurrent Training programs.
  • Introduction of new pronoun pins, currently available at the Company Store.  Management is reviewing the possibility of allowing Flight Attendants to use their uniform allotment to purchase the pins.
  • Requests to increase diversity and representation among the Flight Attendant Special Projects Pool, starting with those selected for Flight Attendant recruiting and hiring.
  • Ways for the committee to start building relationships with the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs).

The committee is next scheduled to meet with management on Friday, February 4, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing a Membership Survey.  Creating a membership survey to determine what Flight Attendants would like to see our Human Rights Committee address and prioritize going forward.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Beginning the process of establishing relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Promoting Increased Diversity Within the Flight Attendant Special Projects Pool.  Advocating for management to create a Special Projects Pool that is reflective of our overall work group, starting with a focus on those who are selected to participate in Flight Attendant recruiting and hiring. 

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items that you’d like brought up with management?  Please let us know!  Your Local Human Rights Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. 

Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2021

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Monday, December 6 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee was scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled the joint portion of the meeting with short notice due to the inflight management changes that took place at about the same time.  Management rescheduled the meeting to take place on January 11, 2022.
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Monday, December 6, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX), and Erika Daniel (SAN).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee was also scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled with short notice due to Travis’ departure from the inflight division that occurred at the same time. 

Topics of Discussion

Despite the fact that management was unable to participate, the committee still had the opportunity to provide updates, share concerns, and determine priorities for the ongoing work of the committee.  Some of the things the committee discussed include:

  • Concerns about low morale within our work group and the MEC’s continued work to have management adequately address the issue.
  • How to address situations when another employee uses terminology or language that is discriminatory in nature, including having another person present as an additional set of eyes and ears if the situation warrants it.
  • Using AFA Professional Standards as a resource to address concerns or conflicts between co-workers (including conflicts with Pilots).
  • Upcoming new AFA diversity pins celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American heritage months.

The committee was able to reschedule the meeting with management for Tuesday, January 11, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing a Membership Survey.  Creating a membership survey to determine what Flight Attendants would like to see our Human Rights Committee address and prioritize going forward.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Working to establish relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Providing Support For Upcoming Negotiations.  Finding opportunities to build our collective power in upcoming negotiations through support of our Mobilization Committee. 

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items that you’d like brought up with management?  Please let us know!  Your Local Human Rights Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. 

Next Week: Committee Meetings with Management

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Several AFA committees will meet with management next week for regularly scheduled discussions of issues currently impacting Flight Attendants.
  • Each AFA Local Council/base sends a representative to committee meetings to ensure that the voices of all Flight Attendants are heard.
  • If you have concerns or items that you would like to see brought forward, please reach out to your respective Local Committee Chairperson prior to the meeting.

Most AFA committees hold meetings with management on a regular basis as a part of their advocacy work on behalf of our Flight Attendants.  These meetings are an opportunity for our Committee Members to bring concerns and issues forward and push for improvements to our workplace.  Representing you at these meetings is your Local Committee Chairperson (sometimes another Local Committee Member or LEC Officer may fill in), who is your voice to management on matters related to the committee.

Next week, several committee meetings are scheduled to take place with management.  They include:

  • Human Rights Committee on Monday, December 6
  • Retirement Committee on Tuesday, December 7
  • Reserve Committee on Thursday, December 9
  • Hotel Committee on Thursday, December 9
  • Inflight Service Committee on Friday, December 10

If there are items that you would like to see any of these committees bring forward to management at their upcoming meeting, please let your Local Committee Chairperson know.  Click below for contact information.

Human Rights Committee
Retirement Committee
Reserve Committee
Hotel Committee
Inflight Service Committee

AFA Alaska Update – September 17, 2021

In This Edition

  • Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month
  • PBS Subcommittee Appointment
  • Why a $5 Starbucks Card is Important to Your Contractual Rights

Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month

Human Rights Committee

September 15 marks the first day of Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month in the United States.  The celebration, which is also referred to as National Hispanic Heritage Month, began as Hispanic Heritage week when it was established by legislation that was signed into law by President Lydon Johnson in 1968.  In 1988, the single week event was expanded to a month-long period to be celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15.

September 15 is of significance as it marks the anniversary of independence of the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  Mexico also celebrates independence on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21. 

Learn More About Hispanic-Latinx History

You can learn more about the accomplishments of Hispanic-Latinx Americans through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month AFA Pins Coming in 2022

The AFA Executive Board recently passed a resolution recognizing Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month and providing for the creation of a new diversity AFA pin in celebration.  You can read the complete text of the resolution by clicking here.  The new pin will be undergo the design and development process over the next year and will be made available in September 2022.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Human Rights Committee.

PBS Subcommittee Appointment

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews this week for an additional PBS Subcommittee Member as previously announced in the August 6 AFA Update email.  The MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants. After thorough consideration, the MEC has appointed SAN-based Flight Attendant Steven Patronsky to the position.

About Steve

Representing the membership and upholding contract compliance are the aspects of the work that most excites Steve about being appointed to the PBS Subcommittee. His volunteering history for AFA includes work on the Scheduling and Hotel Committees.  Steve’s recent accomplishments include completing a Master’s Program at the University of Central Florida and remodeling a 50’s era Mid-Century home in Orlando. 

About the Position

The PBS Subcommittee, part of the Scheduling Committee, works with the company and the Inflight Crew Planning Department to maintain the company’s preferential bidding system and oversee the bidding and bid award processes.  The Subcommittee represents and advocates for the MEC position in matters pertaining to bidding and the preferential bidding system.  Additional information about the position and subcommittee can be found by clicking here.

Why a $5 Starbucks Card is Important to Your Contractual Rights

Grievance Committee

In early 2020, our Grievance Committee included information in an AFA Update about a settlement agreement related to management issuing $5 Starbucks cards to ANC-based Flight Attendants for meeting an attendance goal back in 2015.  You can read the original communication from March 25, 2020 by clicking here (scroll to the Grievance Committee Update article, then the Recent Settled Grievances heading).  Due to the pandemic and other administrative issues, management is just now distributing the Starbucks card as agreed upon.

So Why Is This Important?

The issue at hand isn’t so much about the amount of the Starbucks card but rather what management did wrong.  The priority of our Grievance Committee is to ensure that management complies with our collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  In this case, management violated the CBA by awarding gift cards to a particular group of Flight Attendants for having better attendance rates than others without negotiating it with AFA.  Gift cards, which have a dollar value, are considered a form of compensation which is a negotiated part of our CBA.

If our Grievance Committee had failed to address this contractual violation, regardless of how small it may seem, it could open the door to management making other attempts to change our compensation or working conditions in violation of the CBA.  This settlement agreement protects your rights and makes all Flight Attendants equal in terms of the CBA.  Although it may only be $5 to each Flight Attendant, the overall cost to management for the settlement agreement is significant and a reminder not to violate the language in our contract.

Questions?

If you have questions about the settlement agreement or reasoning behind it, please feel free to reach out to your Local Grievance Committee.

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, January 27, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

Celebrating Black History Month

February 1 marks the start of Black History Month in the United States—a vibrant celebration with roots dating back to 1925, when acclaimed historian Carter G. Woodson first introduced “Negro History Week” to highlight the remarkable achievements of Black individuals. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded it to Black History Month, calling on all […]

Never Forget: Honoring Alaska Airlines Flight 261—January 31, 2000 

On this day, we pause to remember and honor the anniversary of the tragic loss of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which occurred on January 31, 2000. This heartbreaking event claimed the lives of all 88 passengers and crew on board, leaving an enduring impact on all of us. As we reflect on this tragic day, […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 11 – January 2026

The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) continues to make steady progress in collective bargaining sessions with management. Recent meetings have focused on refining contract Section 15 (Leaves of Absence). The JNC continues to incorporate the strongest language from both Alaska and Hawaiian agreements.

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

On Monday, January 12, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Brian Sherill (LAX-pmAS), Kanani Vallot (SAN), […]

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